This week on No Former Athlete, we sit down with BJ Beckwith — co-host of the Just Women’s Sports: Sports Are Fun podcast — for one of the most honest, refreshing conversations we’ve ever had about identity, pressure, and choosing your own path.

BJ grew up in a D1 household.

A sister who played D1.

A dad in two Hall of Fames.

A family where sports weren’t just a hobby… they were the blueprint.

And then one day, BJ realized something he never expected:

He didn’t want the life everyone assumed he’d chase.

Not the recruiting calls.

Not the pressure.

Not choosing “the right sport” at 14.

Not sacrificing the once-in-a-lifetime moments of high school for playing time.

What followed is a story every no former athlete will feel in their bones — the tug of expectations, the fear of disappointing people, the shock of stepping onto a college campus without the title “student-athlete,” and the messy journey of rebuilding identity on your own terms.

We break down:

• Growing up in a high-performance sports family

• Rejecting the D1 path and choosing your version of success

• Queerness, locker rooms, and redefining belonging

• Learning to compete for joy instead of survival

• Finding community again through running, club teams, and adult rec sports

• The unexpected path that led BJ to become a voice in women’s sports

• Why your athlete identity never leaves — it just evolves

This episode is a reminder that:

You don’t lose your athlete identity when you stop playing.You reclaim it.

If you’ve ever questioned who you are without the jersey… this one is going to land deep.

What happens when the thing that’s defined you your entire life… suddenly ends?

Jazzmyne Jay was born and raised to be an athlete.

Volleyball was everything — her schedule, her identity, her way of belonging.

But two games before playoffs, she tore her ACL, MCL, and meniscus.

In one moment, everything she’d built came crashing down.

In this episode, Jazzmyne sits down with Erin to unpack what it really means to lose your sport — and find yourself again.

They talk about what being a teammate actually means once the games are over, how perfectionism follows you into adulthood, and why she’s finally playing for joy instead of performance.

Jazzmyne opens up about healing through adult rec leagues, seeing more Black and brown women on the court, and what it’s like to rebuild a relationship with her body on her own terms.

It’s raw, funny, and deeply human — a conversation about identity, healing, and that question every athlete eventually asks:

“For what?!”

Kara Campbell has never known life without sports. From t-ball to college volleyball, and now as a head athletic trainer, she’s always been surrounded by athletes—and still proudly identifies as one. In this conversation, Kara reflects on what it means to carry the athlete identity long after your own playing days end. We talk about the bittersweet transition from being on the court to supporting from the sidelines, the struggle to find motivation without a team or season ahead, and how she continues to “live it” through the athletes she serves today. Kara’s story is a powerful reminder that there’s no single way to define being an athlete—and that identity can evolve without ever disappearing.